赤あか子ごの腕うでをひねる

also: あかごのうでをねじる

Meanings

expression, godan verb (-ru)

to take candy from a baby; to accomplish something with ease

rare termidiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression meaning something is extremely easy to do, like twisting a baby's arm. The literal meaning is also understood but rarely used outside the idiom. Rare term; more common variant is 赤子の手をひねる.

Written forms

赤あか子ごの腕うでをひねる
Standard kanji spelling with the common reading ひねる.
赤子の腕を捻る
- あかごのうでをひねる
  Alternate kanji spelling using 捻る; also readable as ねじる, but the ひねる reading is more common for this idiom.
- あかごのうでをねじる
赤あか子ごの腕うでをねじる
Kana-mixed spelling with ねじる; less common and may be considered a variant.
あかごのうでをねじる

Kanji

赤red
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM
腕arm, ability, talent
捻twirl, twist, play with

Similar words

赤あか子ごの手てをひねる
More common variant with the same meaning; uses 手 (hand) instead of 腕 (arm).

Etymology

The phrase literally means 'to twist a baby's arm,' implying an action that requires no effort. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a metaphorical idiom for extreme ease.